Reading Selection - February 2005

1968: The Year that Rocked the World, by Mark Kurlansky

MARK KURLANSKY began his career as a foreign correspondent writing about the last years of Francoism in Spain, especially in the Basque provinces, and has returned there annually for the past twenty-five years. He is the author of Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, which won the James Beard Award for Ecellence in Food Writing, and also of A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny, and A Chosen Few: The Resurrection of European Jewry. He writes regularly for Audubon magazine and for the International Herald Tribune and contributes a food history column to Food & Wine magazine. In his youth, he worked for several years on commercial fishing boats. He lives in New York City.

In the book 1968: THE YEAR THAT ROCKED THE WORLD, the author examines many of the major events that occurred around the world in 1968, and assesses their lasting effects on our society. Among the events Mr. Kurlansky discussed were the Tet offensive in Vietnam, the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Democratic convention in Chicago, and the John Wayne movie The Green Berets. Mr. Kurlansky also talked about the impact of television on events and public perception.

Reviews of 1968: The Year that Rocked the World Include:

"A masterful chronicle....Doing what he does best, Kurlansky brings a descriptive glow to his subject....Says so much so well about a year that still steals your breath away, even with so many of its hopes dashed." Kirkus Reviews

"To read this book is to be transported to a very specific past at once more naive and more mature than today....1968 is a thorough and loving (perhaps a bit too loving of the boomer generation) tapestry - or time capsule." Publishers Weekly

"[W]hat can be gained from yet another Boomer report on the 1960s? Surprisingly, quite a bit....This is very fine - and surprisingly timely..." Keir Graff, Booklist

"In this highly opinionated and highly readable history, Kurlansky makes a case for why 1968 has lasting relevance in the United States and around the world. Whether you agree or disagree with its points, you'll find it makes for fascinating reading."-DAN RATHER, CBS News

Other Titles by Mark Kurlansky:

Salt: A World History, 2001
The White Man in the Tree and Other Stories, 2000
The Basque History of the World, 1999
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, 1997
Choice Cuts, 2002
A Chosen Few: The Resurrection of European Jewry, 1994
The Cod's Tale, 2001
A Continent of Islands : Searching for the Caribbean Destiny, 1991

Links:

Mark Kurlansky - Biography
New York State Writers Institute - Mark Kurlansky